Editorial: Citizens, school districts must work together

Badges of forward-thinking conscientiousness are practically status symbols in the Pacific Northwest. Recycling bins line our streets. Hybrid vehicles dot our driveways and pepper our freeways to the sneezing point. Plastic grocery bags ignite political warfare, so we proudly sport our reusable totes at the store. We are surrounded by such natural beauty in our community that it’s easy to see what our children will lose, should we fail to help them thrive.

The region’s latest teacher strikes, however, reflect less of an investment in the resources of our own children when teachers, such as those in Kent, are battling for smaller class sizes.

Something is fundamentally broken when a group of Washington school districts are collectively suing the state for money, the children are describing disintegrating classroom texts, and the state is claiming its experts said materials were adequate.

A crisis is apparent. The question shouldn’t be, “What do we want when we put our kids on the bus to school?”

Thankfully, the Peninsula School District is ahead of the curve. For the past year, the district has been asking community members — including students, their families and educators — what their top priorities are. The district anticipated large cuts, prepared the community and followed through when it received overwhelming feedback for its goals. The top responses: Maintain class sizes, as well as safety and security.

Our children are our most precious possessions. We cringe at the thought of them slipping through the cracks or giving up due to a lack of support.

The questions become, “Where is the breakdown between what we want and what the educational system is delivering?” Or, “Why can’t schools afford even the most basic programs and supplies that we took for granted even 10 years ago?”

In a society where we can afford hybrids, special grocery totes and coffee cups, flat-screen HDTVs, regular manicures and car washes, why are teachers having to battle just to spend time with their students?

Compared with other countries in the world, we are politically and economically stable (relatively speaking). So why, as a statewide community, are we failing to follow through on our ideological commitment — the state’s “paramount duty” to fully fund education? If the system doesn’t change, we may be sacrificing our children’s intellectual and interpersonal future.

Not only must we demand results of our leaders, citizens must be willing to support and give of ourselves whatever is needed to achieve the results we require. If we fail to act as a team with a unified goal, progress will continue to stall.

As a result, the upcoming generation of adults may well be left to fix a problem we haven’t equipped them to tackle.